Jon Jones? Khabib Nurmagomedov? The real pound-for-pound No. 1 is ...

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Helwani: Khabib is the most dominant fighter in UFC history (1:24)

Ariel Helwani doesn't know if Khabib Nurmagomedov is the GOAT or best fighter in UFC history, but is certain he is the most dominant. For more UFC, sign up here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc (1:24)

Khabib Nurmagomedov was as dominant as usual in defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on Saturday. The lightweight champion ran his record to 28-0 overall, 12-0 in the UFC. No one has done it better. That must make him the clear pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in MMA, right?

Not so fast. There's this guy named Jon Jones who has been residing at the top of the mountain seemingly forever. The UFC's light heavyweight champ is 25-1 with a no contest, the loss on his record a highly questionable disqualification from a decade ago. He doesn't appear ready to budge anytime soon.

So who's the best in the sport, regardless of weight division or fight promotion?

Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event shouldn't be short on action. Justin Gaethje will take on Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a stoppage very likely. Gaethje hasn't seen a fight decided by the judges in five years, and 12 of Cerrone's past 15 fights didn't go the distance.

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This was the question ESPN's panel of voters wrestled with, and in the end, you might say it came down to a split decision. Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim voted to elevate Nurmagomedov, previously ranked second, to the top spot. Ariel Helwani and Marc Raimondi opted to stick with Jones. So "Bones" and Khabib are tied for No. 1.

Here is what ESPN's panelists think:

Okamoto: Pound-for-pound rankings are about splitting hairs. You can make a strong case for Nurmagomedov or Jones as No. 1. Both are undefeated -- Nurmagomedov officially, Jones unofficially. Nurmagomedov is clearly dominant in one specific area -- wrestling. Jones is the complete package, and he seems to enjoy beating his opponents in their areas of strength. I have Nurmagomedov at No. 1 because he has a skill set that no one seems to have any idea what to do with, let alone defeat. Jones is coming off a razor-thin decision against Thiago Santos. Both are great, but I feel Nurmagomedov has a slight edge in consistency right now. I know exactly what I'm getting with Nurmagomedov, and I know that something has proved, thus far, impossible to beat or even slow down.

Raimondi: Jones is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world until he loses. In 21 UFC fights, Jones has never been beaten. The only loss on his record is that ridiculous disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009. Nurmagomedov is absolutely amazing. But he has two title defenses. Jones has 10.

Helwani: Honestly, I don't have a great reason why I went with Jones, other than he was No. 1 last month and didn't lose, so I don't think it's right to bump him. There's no wrong answer here. Nurmagomedov is most certainly deserving, but Jones has been at the top longer, so he gets the nod.

Wagenheim: For me, pound-for-pound rankings come down to who's most dominant within his or her domain. That's the only way I can fathom stacking up, say, 125-pound Henry Cejudo alongside Stipe Miocic, a heavyweight champ nearly twice his size. And by that measure, I see Nurmagomedov totally in command every time out, while Jones squeaked by in his last fight and didn't exactly blow the doors off his previous opponent, either. "Jonny Bones" is an all-time great, but right now my No. 1 is Khabib.

On the women's side, there also is some movement in the pound-for-pound top 10. In winning the UFC strawweight championship on Aug. 31, Zhang Weili knocked off previously No. 4 Jessica Andrade and now takes her spot, bumping the Brazilian down the rankings.